The present invention relates generally to bottles for packaging, storing, transporting and distributing various liquids. More particularly, the present invention relates to rectangular bottles constructed of plastic and the like for containing motor oils and other related fluids.
Fluids such as motor oils have, until recently, primarily been packaged in composite fiber (laminated) cylindrical containers closed on each end by a metallic plate. As is evident from ever having used or been around such containers, they suffer from many shortcomings including poor shelf life and individual container integrity (seepage of oil through the composite fiber), difficulty in opening and resealing once opened, and difficulty in pouring the contents without unwanted spillage. Despite these shortcomings, cylindrical composite fiber containers predominated in the marketplace due to the lack of a viable and economical alternative.
More recently, however, cylindrical composite fiber containers are rapidly being replaced by plastic bottles. The use of plastics such as, for example, high density polyethylene, may improve the shelf life and integrity of the individual bottles with comparable manufacturing and packaging costs. Consumers today also tend to prefer a plastic bottle, particularly for motor oils and the like, over the prior composite fiber container.
Plastic motor oil bottles come in a wide variety of shapes and forms including, but not limited to, cylindrical bottles closed on one or both ends with a metallic plate, cylindrical bottles with centrally oriented spouts, cylindrical bottles with offset spouts, rectangular bottles with centrally oriented spouts and rectangular bottles with offset spouts. Generally the bottles with spouts are also provided with screw cap or other closure means for sealing and resealing the bottles once opened.
The cylindrical shape, though, has several practical disadvantages. Cylindrical containers are not very space efficient, that is, there is a significant amount of void space between individual containers when such containers are packaged or otherwise placed side-by-side. This void space can be significantly reduced by the use of a rectangular container. Rectangular containers are also easier to grip and hold in most cases than their cylindrical counterparts.
The plastic rectangular motor oil bottles presently in use, however, suffer form many shortcomings. First and foremost, the great majority of rectangular bottles, particularly the one quart capacity bottles, cannot be effeciently stacked and shipped on a standard 40 in..times.48 in. GMA (Grocery Manufacturers Association) pallet. This pallet size is the standard of the grocery industry by which most warehouses, shipping trucks and rail cars are constructed. By utilizing non-standard sized pallets, maximum space utilization for storage and shipping cannot be achieved.
While not designed for the standard pallet, these plastic rectangular bottles may still be stacked on the standard pallets, but the cases in which the bottles are packaged will overhang past the edge of the pallet. By overhanging the cases and, therefore, the bottles, the potential for container damage and breakage is greatly increased. Further, the overhang enlarges the space requirement for the pallet and, therefore, the purpose and advantages of using the standard pallet are defeated. These rectangular bottles can also be stacked without the overhang, but then a significant portion of the pallet surface will not be utilized.
Other disadvantages of many of the rectangular motor oil bottles currently in use include pouring difficulties (premature spillage from content surge, "glug" from poor venting), poor warehouse and shelf life, poor stackability (container integrity, top-load strength) and low shelf-space utilization.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a rectangular motor oil bottle designed to be made of plastic and stacked and shipped on a standard 40 in..times.48 in. GMA pallet.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rectangular motor oil bottle which has comparible or improved warehouse and shelf life and container integrity (top-load strength) as compared with present rectangular motor oil bottles.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a rectangular motor oil bottle with a high shelf-space utilization.
It is finally another object of the present invention to provide a rectangular motor oil bottle which improves pourability of the contents from the bottle by lessening the chances for unwanted spillage and reducing content surge from "glug."